Birth
A naming ceremony for a new baby is a very moving family occasion and we are happy to arrange this on members’ behalf. We can also assist with putting you in touch with a progressive mohel to perform a brit milah and help with practical arrangements.
Cheder (Religion School)
Details of forthcoming sessions are on our cheder page.
The cheder meets fortnightly on Saturday afternoons, in very attractive premises in Marchmont. Now online via Zoom.
Our joint heads of cheder are Mor Kandlik-Eltanani and Gila Holliman.
Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah
Preparation for a Bar or Bat Mitzvah is a big commitment to Jewish learning for the young person and his or her family. Prospective B’nei Mitzvah are expected to have attended cheder for the preceding years. But as the date approaches extra support will be needed. This will consist of sessions with the rabbi during his visits as well as support from parents or from other members who will help the young person to conduct part of the service on the big day.
We are also happy to provide similar support to adults who, for whatever reason, did not have such an event at the usual age.
Adult education
We are fortunate to have the benefit of Rabbi Mark Solomon’s extensive Jewish knowledge. During his visits he holds meetings to discuss Talmud or other sources in members’ homes or at one of our venues. Topics range widely and often lead to heated discussions. Further details can be found here.
Marriage and Civil Partnership
Our Rabbi, Mark Solomon, can conduct Jewish marriages and, at the same time as conducting the Jewish marriage ceremony, he is authorised in Scotland to register the couple in a civil marriage. In order for Rabbi Mark to officiate, both partners must be Jewish.
For the avoidance of doubt, Rabbi Mark is able to conduct both opposite-sex and same-sex Jewish marriages and to register both opposite-sex and same-sex civil marriages.
To date, Rabbi Mark hasn’t been asked to register a civil partnership at the same time as conducting a religious marriage, but this is also possible too. Further details of the legal aspects of this are contained in the appendix of our community information directory.
Where only one partner is Jewish, Rabbi Mark may be willing to participate in a mixed faith marriage blessing, but this will need to be preceded by a civil wedding (which can’t be conducted by Rabbi Mark). Community lay readers are also happy to conduct a mixed faith marriage blessing.
Where Rabbi Mark officiates at a wedding or mixed faith blessing, members make an individual arrangement with him as regards his fees and other expenses. Rabbi Mark can also officiate at ceremonies for non-members.
Funerals
We can provide both burial and cremation services for members. We are able to assist with all the necessary arrangements and we have a formal arrangement with William Purves Funeral Directors, who we would recommend as the funeral director of choice. William Purves offer a reduced rate for funerals arranged through our community.
We may also be able to help with the ritual of taharah (ritual washing).
We have reserved plots in the new part of the beautiful Dean cemetery (the section with an entrance just off Queensferry Road and Dean Path). These plots can also be used for the burial of ashes following a funeral service at the crematorium.
Arrangements can be made for members of the same family to be interred in the same plot or an adjacent plot, and a non-Jewish partner can be buried in the same plot as a member. While we have not been asked to conduct a woodland burial, there are woodland burial sites in and around Edinburgh and we would be able to officiate at a woodland burial.
We also try, where possible, to assist with the funeral arrangements of (Jewish) nonmembers. Details of funeral arrangements, including appropriate fees, are in the appendix of the community information directory.
Should you wish to speak to someone about funeral arrangements, please email burials@eljc.org of leave a message on our voicemail (0131 777 8024).